"The Top 100 Players of 2025" -- voted on by the players themselves -- is underway on X and NFL+! The top 10 will be announced on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 8 p.m. ET live on NFL Network. Check back on Wednesday for the 35th-ranked player.
2024 stats: 16 games | 154 tackles | 4 tfl | 1.5 sacks | 1 INT | 1 FF | 1 FR
Very little has gone wrong for Smith since he joined the Ravens via trade midway through the 2022 campaign. In two full seasons since, Smith has made two Pro Bowls, twice been named a first-team All-Pro and compiled over 100 tackles more than any other Raven. He’s a bit vulnerable in pass defense compared to sniffing out ball-carriers, but that can be forgiven when he’s flying around quarterbacking the top-ranked D against the run as he did last year.
NFL Pro Insight for Smith: Roquan Smith recorded a tackle that resulted in a negative play for the offense on 18.5% of his run defense snaps last season, the highest rate among defenders with at least 200 run defense snaps. His 57 run stops ranked fifth in the NFL.
2024 stats: 17 games | 63.2 pct | 3,727 pass yds | 7.0 ypa | 20 pass TD | 12 INT | 233 rush yds | 6 fumbles
Those concerned with Stroud’s sophomore slump are missing the bigger picture. With him under center, a team that had managed only 11 combined victories in three seasons prior to his arrival won 11 in a season (including playoffs) for a second straight year. He’s already produced two blowout postseason wins. He experienced a step back in 2024, but he also played behind PFF’s 29th-ranked offensive line and lost all three of his best receivers to injury at various points. The Texans have addressed both groups this offseason, and Stroud possesses all the talent to capitalize with a redemption arc.
NFL Pro Insight for Stroud: C.J. Stroud finished third in the NFL with 699 yards on passes outside the pocket. Stroud attempted passes from outside the pocket at the fourth-highest rate (19.2%) despite spending an average of 2.81 seconds in the pocket on dropbacks, sixth-longest in the league.
2024 stats: 17 games | 48 tackles | 16 tfl | 13.5 sacks | 1 INT | 2 FF | 1 FR | 2 TD
Bonitto exploded onto the scene in the wake of Baron Browning’s Week 2 injury, playing so well that he rendered his fellow edge rusher expendable at the trade deadline. He wasn’t just opportunistic in stealing a starting spot, either, as the third-year pro familiarized himself with the end zone on both of his first two career takeaways. He led the Broncos in sacks, and there’s room for more after playing just 61.3% of defensive snaps. Bonitto heads into 2025 primed to build on his breakout, at long last the top dog of Denver's pass rush.
NFL Pro Insight for Bonitto: Nik Bonitto was a model of consistency in 2024. He had 11 games with at least one sack, the most in the NFL.
2024 stats: 16 games | 97 rec | 823 rec yds | 8.5 ypr | 3 rec TD
Was it a down year for Kelce? Absolutely. Would most tight ends kill to match his 2025 output even once in their career? Absolutely. Kelce’s receiving yards and touchdown totals marked his lowest since what was essentially a redshirt rookie season, yet he still finished fifth among TEs in yards and third in receptions (12th overall) on the way to his 10th straight Pro Bowl. The 35-year-old is one of the NFL’s greatest-ever exploiters of zone coverage and maintains a cosmic connection with Patrick Mahomes. Lost step or not, he'll make defenses pay plenty once again in the season ahead.
NFL Pro Insight for Kelce: Travis Kelce led all tight ends in routes run (96), targets (26), and receptions (19) when inside the red zone last season. His 109 receiving yards and 52 yards after the catch on red zone targets ranked fourth and second, respectively, among tight ends.
2024 stats: 13 games | 43 tackles | 12 tfl | 12 sacks | 2 FF
A high ankle sprain is the only reason Parsons fell out of the countdown’s top 20 for the first time in his career. When he was on the field, he was as dominant as ever, and in fact played on pace to surpass his career-high 14 sacks from the season before. He finished the year on a tear even as the Cowboys faded from playoff contention, amassing 1.5-plus sacks in five of his final nine games after missing Weeks 5-9, good enough for PFF to grade him fourth (91.6) among edge rushers in pass rushing.
NFL Pro Insight for Parsons: Micah Parsons generated a league-high 19.1% pressure rate last season (minimum 150 pass rushes). Despite missing four games, Parsons led the Cowboys with a 24.2% pressure share, good for eighth in the NFL.
2024 stats: 15 games | 101 rec | 1,194 rec yds | 11.8 ypr | 6 rec TD
Lamb overcame Dak Prescott’s Week 9 season-ending injury to reach the Pro Bowl for a fourth straight year. He’s one of the league’s crispest route runners and feels open more often than not, but chucking a chance his way is also entirely safe; he collected 18 contested catches in the regular season, seventh among wideouts. So dependable is Lamb that his numbers hardly dipped in Prescott’s absence. He posted 48 receptions for 534 yards and two touchdowns in seven games without his QB1 compared to 53 catches for 660 yards and four TDs in eight games with him.
NFL Pro Insight for Lamb: CeeDee Lamb put together his third consecutive season with at least 100 receptions. All other players in Cowboys history have combined for two such seasons (Jason Witten in 2012 and Michael Irvin in 1995).
